Crystalline silicon cells have found wide usage within the solar panel industry, as well as other fields in which a photovoltaic or other crystalline silicon cell is desired.
Typical solar cells used in the solar panel industry convert light into electricity through the photovoltaic effect. A plurality of solar cells are typically incorporated into modules or arrays of such cells, e.g., to form a solar panel. A typical solar cell includes a wafer of silicon which is often grown as a monocrystalline wafer, or formed as an ingot, and then cut into a polycrystalline wafer.
Typical solar cells further typically include a metal layer on the back surface of the solar cell that serves as one of the electrodes of the solar cell. Such metal layers are typically applied as a metal paste which is then fired at high temperature in order to form the desired metal electrode on the back surface of the solar cell.
While various processes exist for the manufacture of such solar cells and the components used therein, there is a continuing need for improved methods of manufacture.